Sole for boots and shoes



Dec. 1,1925, I 1,564,060

' J. E. GRQSJEAN Y SOLE FR BOOTS IND SHOES,

Filed Sept; 13. 1923 p /,Patented Dec. 1, 1925. i l.

UNITED STATI-:s PATENT oFFlca.

.Tanne E. enosJnaN, or LIMA, omo,

som non Booms AND snons.

Application led September 13; 1923. Seriallo. 862,477.

To all whom it may. concern: v

Be it known that I, JAMES E. GRosJnAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lima, in the county of` Allen and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improveniente in Soles for Boots and Shoes,y of which the following is a specification.

.wear surface, the present invention enabling these results to be attained inexpensively, as it is not necessary that the threads or cords be in the form of a woven or other delintel formed fabric structure, and hence materia s which are usually discarded as Waste by automobile tire manufacturers, and otherdiscarded materials can be used in the manufacture of the improved soles.

'lo these and other ends, the invention consists in certain improvements and combinations and arrangements of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the features of novelty being pointed out particularly in the claims at the end of the specication.

ln the accom anying drawings:

Figure l is a ottom plan view of the forward portion of a sole constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the inven-` tion;`

Figure 2 represents a longitudinal section through the forward portion of a sole, as Shownl in Figure l, during its course of manufacture and Figure 3 is a view similar to Fi e 2 showing the forward portion of the so e when finished.

The present invention is applicable to soles and half soles suitable for use generally Y on boots and shoes where the qualities or properties of a rubber sole are desirable, the textile liber constituent, according to the present invention, greatly increasing the strength and durability of the sole at relatively low cost. The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and will be hereinafter described in detail, but it is tobe understood that the invention is not restricted to the precise embodiment shown, as equivalent structures are contemplated and these will be included wit-hin the scope of the claims. c,

Inthe embodiment of the invention shown 1n Figures 1, 2 and 3, the sole comprises a body 1 which comprises preferably a rubber compound, such as that usually used in the making of rubber soles or heels, this portion of the sole preferably including a heel portion which may, if desired, be thicker than the remainderof the sole, the shank, and a margin 2 which surrounds the forward portion of the sole. designated 3, according to this embodiment of'the invention, is composed of a rubber compound which may be' simlar to that generally used for the manufacture of rubber soles and heels, or it may be composed of any other material' which will cure or is capable of vulcanization, it being advantaq geous to prepare this material in sheets from scraps of rubber compound which are discarded as waste in the manufacture of auto mobile t-ires, the tread or wear surface being stitched with cords or threads l, thus proriding textile threads which are distributed throughout the tread or wear surface and are presented endwise thereto, these threads pos` sessing greater wear resisting properties over the rubbercompound and thus materially increasing the durability of the sole.

In pre aring the material to form the wear sur ace 8 it is preferable to roll out or otherwise prepare a flat sheet of the rubber compound and to apply a sheet of canvas 5, or other strong or tough material, preferably woven fabric, to one face of the sheet of rubber, this being done while the sheet of rubber compound is uncured, and the sheet of rubber compound and its accompanying canvas sheet or ply is then stitched with the threads 4, this being done preferably on a sewing machine, using either a coarse thread or cord, or a fine thread, or a thread of any desired thickness, and the stitches are preferably arranged in rows which may be spaced apart any desired distance, it being understood that by placing the rows of stitches closely together, the wear-resisting properties of the material are increased. Preferably the rows of stitches are arranged to cross one another, giving the material a substantially quilted effect, A.

The tread or wear surface lock stitch is preferably used in order to effectively rctam the threads or stitches in place during the wear of the s ole.

The sheet of material comprising the superposed rubber compound and abric ply stitched substantially as above described, 1s in a form which enables the tread or wear surfaces to be readil sivel cut in the desired orm there rom by dles. The blanks of material to form the wear surfaces of the soles are then inserted within the rubber margin or ed e 2 of the soles and a layer or ply of toug material, preferably canvas or similar woven material 6 is preferably applied to oneface of the structure, as shown'in Figure 2. Also it is preferable to provide a reinforcement between the shank of the sole and the adjacent edge of the tread or wear surface, the reinforcement shown in the present instance comprising a strip o'f canvas or other tough woven material 7 having a ply of rubber 8 on one face thereof, this reinforcement being so applied that one end is interposed between the shank end of the tread or wear surface and the canvas or backing sheet 6, while its other end overlaps the shank portion of the sole. The parts assembled as above described may then be placed in a mold and cured or vulcanized in the usual or well known way to give the sole its 'final or finished form and to securely unite its constituents. Figure 3 represents substantially the form of the finished sole, the rubber compound body 3 being vulcanized to the canvas backing 5 and to the surrounding rubber edge 3 of the sole, the canvas backing 5 and the surrounding margin or edge 2 of the sole being vulcanized to the canvas or fabric ply 6 and the reinforcing strip 7 being embedded within the sole and securely vulcanized to the shank end of the tread surface 3, 5 and to the shank portion of the sole. The threadsA or cords composing the stitching also become vulcanized within the rubber body 3 of the tread or wear surface, so that these threads will be securely held within the rubber body 3 while the sole undergoes wear.

Soles constructed as above described may be manufactured at less cost than those which employ plies of Woven fabric or plies and inex enof cord structure, the labor involved in their manufacture is reduced, and such soles possess greatly increased wear-resistm properties and strength over soles compose of rubber compound only. By stitchin the cords or threads through the ru ber structure forming the tread or wear sur face, a reat number of threads become distribute throughout the wear surface, and, moreover, these threads are presented endwise to the wear surface of the sole so that the ends of the fibers composing the cords or threads resist wear most effectively. Furthermore, the stitchin prevents disin.- tegration of the'rubber body composin the wear surface, particularly in view o the fact that the stitched cords or threads become vulcanized within the rubber body 3.

I- claim as my invention 1. A sole for boots and shoes comprising a tread comiosed of a layer of rubber having a threa stitched therethrough and exposed at the wear surface thereof, 'said rubber layer and thread being vulcanized together. i

2. A sole 4for boots and shoes comprising a tread composed of a body of rubber having' lines of stitches extending across it and vulcanized therein and exposed at its wear surface.

3. A sole for boots and shoes comprising a tread composed of a body of rubber having intersecting rows of stitches of textile thread extending across it and vulcanized therein and exposed at its wear surface.

4. A sole for boots and shoes comprising a tread composed of a body of vulcanizable material having intersecting rows of stitches of textile thread extending across it the thread being vulcanized therein and being presented endwise to the wear surface of the tread.

5. A sole for boots and shoes comprising a layer of rubber, a layer of woven textile material superposed thereon, and textile thread stitched through said layers and exposed at the wear surface of the tread, the layers of rubber and textile material and the thread being vulcanized.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JAMES E. GROSJEAN. 

